^ I think the publicity stunt is the end of the year when a few people move (hence the blimp ride to the grand opening). But the majority will go, I think, at the end of next year. I would wait until next year. Just too much construction on the island and at the base. The end of next year is when the true beauty of this project will be revealed.

what are they building out on the outter ring? looks big what ever it will be. and one must wonder how much the houses will cost out there in $us

__________________Number of buildings listed on SSPs Diagram section? 191
Number of people living in the cities metro area? 496,900
Knowing London has a better looking skyline than that of any other city our size? PRICELESS

what are they building out on the outter ring? looks big what ever it will be. and one must wonder how much the houses will cost out there in $us

The outer ring will have hotels and resorts only, however some of them have (serviced) apartments and vvillas for sale. In the center of the ring (that big thing) is the 2500 rooms ATLANTIS Hotel & Resort, the sister hotel of the famous hotel in Bahamas, but bigger and with more water park facilities to compansate for the lack of the Casino that the original hotel has.

How far is Burj Dubai and the other skyscrapers of Dubai from the first Palm Island? Are there skyscrapers in front of the first Palm Island and are those different from the skyscrapers around Burj Dubai?

Wow! Dubai has absoultly amazing projects going on, like nothing else in the world ever.

But im wondering if the ocean levels rise as a result of global warming isnt all this at serious risk of being destroyed?

Don't worry, the sea level is only currently rising at 30cm per century, the islands are man made and will constantly be adapted in the decades to come if it becomes a problem. I should imagine the design life of the current buildings will be safe from this phenomena, adaptation can be deployed on reconstruction in many years to come!

The 5.4km Palm Monorail system will run between
the Gateway Station at the trunk of The Palm Jumeirah.

Dubai: Osaka Monorail is to provide technical support to the Palm Jumeirah's Dh1.4 billion monorail transit system following an agreement signed by Nakheel in Japan.

The Palm Monorail is the first monorail project to be constructed in the Middle East.

The 5.4km long transport system will run between the Gateway Station at the trunk of The Palm Jumeirah and the Atlantis Station on the crescent, calling at two intermediate stations on the way at Trump International Hotel & Tower and the Village Centre.

The monorail will initially carry up to 2,400 passengers per hour per direction in four separate trains, each made up of three cars. At full capacity, the figure will rise to a maximum of 6,000 people in nine vehicles.

Marwan Al Qamzi, Nakheel head of procurement and contracts, and Katsunori Hayakawa, president of Osaka Monorail inked the agreement during a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony in Osaka.

The signing was witnessed by Saeed Ali Al Nowais, the UAE's ambassador to Japan, and Hitoshi Masaki, director-general of Osaka Government, Middle East.

Osaka Monorail will provide technical support for the efficient operation of the monorail system with focus on the operation and maintenance framework; planning and staff training; and test operation supervision.

Al Qamzi said: "The monorail system currently being constructed on The Palm Jumeirah by Nakheel and the Marubeni Corporation is without doubt the number one system in the world; however, in order to ensure a world-class transit system we still require the best maintenance operations and that is why world-leaders the Osaka Monorail Company have been chosen as technical support by Nakheel.

"The agreement also demonstrates the excellent relations between Dubai and Osaka - the twinning agreement has significantly helped to boost trade between the two cities and I look forward to many more partnerships in the future."

The overall project is a collaboration between Nakheel and the Marubeni Corporation and features contributions from a consortium of Japanese companies. A UK company, Mott MacDonald, is functioning as the project manager.

The mechanical and electrical system, and monorail vehicles, are being engineered, manufactured and commissioned by Hitachi - the leading railway system manufacturer in Japan.

Hitachi's expertise and experience includes the delivery of high speed train systems and monorail systems to many cities around the world including Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Singapore and the UK.

Construction work, which began in March 2006, is scheduled for completion in December 2008. Bore piling and foundation works have been completed with the 28-metre, 80-tonne concrete truck beams currently being laid at the site.

Hitachi starts actual production of the monorail from January 2007 with building work due to be completed by December 2007. System installation and testing will be carried out by Hitachi from January 2008 to the scheduled completion date of December 2008.

Marubeni Corporation is also working with a civil and building work partner to develop the monorail - a joint venture between the Ohbayashi Corporation, and Oriental Construction.

The Palm Monorail project will be fully automatic and driverless, although an attendant will be on board at all times.

This requires a state-of-the-art and well proven automatic train operation control system developed by The Nippon Signal - the number one railway signal system manufacturer in Japan who have delivered the system for the Hitachi monorail system in Tokyo Disney Resort.

Automatic fare collection manufacturers OMRON will also provide a state-of-the-art system using smart cards as tickets.